Tumwater and Olympia residents can weigh in on Washington's long-range aviation planning at a public meeting on Oct. 7.

The Commercial Aviation Work Group, a 30-member panel created by the Legislature through HB 1791 in 2023, will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Capitol Event Center, 6005 Tyee Dr. SW, in the Thurston Room. The meeting is free. It is open in person and online via Zoom, with a live stream on TVW.

A 30-minute public comment period runs from 12:30 to 1 p.m. Speakers get two minutes each. Christina Crea of the Washington State Department of Transportation will facilitate comments from both in-person and online participants.

The work group studies alternatives for expanding aviation capacity statewide, including better use of existing airports and connections to rail and other transit. It is not charged with picking a site for or building a new airport, according to the Nisqually Valley News. The panel replaced the earlier Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission and uses that body's findings as a baseline for its work.

The Governor's Office appoints 19 voting members under categories set by HB 1791. Eleven non-voting members round out the panel. Evan Nordby chairs the group, and WSDOT provides staffing support.

The Oct. 7 agenda opens with a multi-modal transportation update and a debrief on a recent Cascadia Webinar about the state airport system. David Ison of WSDOT will present on "Airport of the Future" and Advanced Air Mobility, or AAM, from 11:15 a.m. to noon.

The afternoon session includes discussion of the group's draft annual report. The work group submitted its most recent annual report to the Legislature in November 2025.

The Tumwater venue has hosted the group before. The panel held its first public hybrid meeting there in July 2024. In 2026, the group has met at SeaTac on Feb. 25, Moses Lake on April 28, Centralia College on July 8 and virtually on Sept. 3 before returning to Tumwater.

Residents who cannot attend Oct. 7 can submit comments anytime through the work group's online contact form at aviationworkgroup.com. Registration is required for Zoom participants.

The group's next meeting date will be set during the Oct. 7 session.